THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it has recently accredited establishments in the Netherlands producing meat for export to the Philippines.
Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala issued Administrative Circular 12 which authorized the grant of “system accreditation” to Dutch foreign meat establishments (FMEs).
“The representative FMEs in the government of the Netherlands were inspected and audited by the DA Inspection Mission and were found to comply with the Philippine quarantine and meat-inspection systems procedures,” the circular read.
Alcala said the Dutch government has also complied with the requirements provided in the Terresrial Animal Health Code of the Office Internationale des Epizooties.
“After thorough evaluation, the application of the government of the Netherlands for system accreditation to export meat products into the Philippines has been found to be satisfactory and acceptable,” the circular read.
Alcala said the accreditation is valid until May 25, 2019.
The DA said meat establishments must be duly registered by the Dutch government to export chicken, beef and pork meat and meat products to
the Philippines.
The meat and meat products for export must be derived from healthy animals and slaughtered, fabricated and processed in accredited meat establishments.
“The source of fresh frozen meat for export shall be from animals born and raised in the Netherlands,” the circular read.
The DA also said the source of raw materials for meat products must be derived from a country or FME certified and accredited by the Philippine government.
The meat and meat products for export, the DA said, must not contain residues of antibiotics, pescitides, hormones, heavy metals, radioactivity and similar substances that may pose public health and environmental
hazards.